Here in the Philippines we have a famous dish called Lumpiang Shanghai that's basically fried spring rolls (lumpia) in a 'Shanghai' style as we call it because of Chinese influence in the past. Lumping Shanghai is commonly filled with meat and some vegetables but for these spring rolls, I made some tofu mince to go with mixed veggies.
These are best when fried to create a golden brown and super crisp exterior but you can also bake them by brushing the rolls with some oil before leaving them in the oven for 40 minutes at 400F, flipping halfway through.
Check out the full recipe for the filling, as well as how I rolled these. You can also check out the video below on how I roll spring rolls. Enjoy!
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Fried Tofu and Vegetable Spring Rolls (My Take on Filipino Lumpiang Shanghai)
Makes 15 spring rolls
INGREDIENTS
For filling
1 tbsp oil
2 cups raw shredded carrot
1 cup thinly sliced green beans (bitswelas)
1 cup raw shredded cabbage
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp spring onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
2 blocks extra firm tofu (around 240g each), excess liquid drained--you can opt to use a tofu press
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mushroom soy sauce (for color and extra flavour, optional)
For wrapping and cooking
15 round flour wrappers (mine were 6” in diameter), for gluten free option click here
Canola oil or other neutral cooking oil, for frying
Sweet chili sauce for dipping (or any dipping sauce of choice)
Small bowl of room temperature water
STEPS
Preparing the filling
Heat a large pan. Add the oil then sauté the onion and garlic. When cooked, add in the vegetables and season with salt. Mix well and cook for 8-10 minutes over medium heat until the vegetables are cooked through and water has seeped out of the vegetables. Remove from the pan.
Depending on whether there is a lot of liquid, you can strain the vegetable mix.
In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of oil. Add in the tofu and crumble into small pieces using a fork. Season with the soy sauce, salt, and mushroom soy sauce (if using). Cook for 10-12 minutes moving around every 2 minutes until tofu starts to dry up and then turn into a mince. Once lightly browned and cooked through, turn off the heat then add in the vegetable mix. Mix well.
Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.
Wrapping the spring rolls (See wrapping video below or here)
Prepare the wrappers by separating them from one another. Prepare a small bowl of room temperature water as well.
Add in 2 tbsp* of the filling on the bottom of the wrapper. Slowly roll to the top then fold the sides before continuing to roll to the top and sealing the edge with water. You can refer to the photos above for a better idea on how to wrap these spring rolls.
*Note: the amount of filling to place in each will depend on the size of your wrappers
Cooking the spring rolls
Heat a deep frying pan with oil enough to submerge the spring rolls. Once hot, place a few rolls. Cook over medium heat. Flip after a few minutes to cook the other side. Once both sides are golden brown, remove from the oil. Leave on a strainer or on a plate lined with some paper towels to drain any excess oil.
Let cool for a few minutes and slice into half, if desired. Enjoy while hot and dip in your favourite dipping sauce! I love mine with some bottled Thai sweet chili sauce.
Baking option: You can also bake them by brushing the rolls with some oil before placing them on a lined baking tray and baking them in the oven for 40 minutes at 400F, flipping halfway through. They will of course not turn as evenly golden brown and juicy, but still very crispy!
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